-says Odinga Lumumba
Part One
Stabroek Sports’ Donald Duff recently sought a no holds barred interview with president of Alpha United Football Club Odinga Lumumba. Lumumba, who serves as presidential advisor on community development within the Bharrat Jagdeo-led administration, is a former president of the Georgetown Football Association. The following interview deals with Lumumba’s views on the present football situation, his reasons for leaving the GFA, his take on accountability within the GFF and his relationship with Colin Klass while he was president of the GFA. Lumumba speaks with passion about a sport that, despite what his detractors might say, he seems to hold close to his heart.
Following is the interview.
DD: What are your views on the present situation existing within the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)?
OL: First of all I remember I had some differences when I was president of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) with the GFF. I had vented those feelings in the newspapers and I was censured by the general council of the GFF. They almost banned me. But now I see that both Mr. Mendonca (Troy) and Mr Cole (Marlan) of the GFA have been very critical publicly of the GFF and I notice that nothing has happened. So I have written the GFF asking them to withdraw my censure. Because there are things I would like to say publicly and I want an opportunity to do so like everybody else.
Secondly, I think we have to look at football in the Klass era, the 20 years, to see if football has gone anywhere.
Football has improved. The question is that it has not improved the way it should have improved. We always target the leadership so I have no problem with saying there are some issues that Colin (Klass) needs to deal with like there’s no facility for football and that there needs to be more openness with football. The issue of transfers for players, is also a burning issue. We have our players in Guyana going to play in Trinidad, Jamaica and other places. The clubs don’t get any money don’t get any fees. We’ve been treated like slaves, like if Guyana is a football slave plantation.
A man from overseas comes, picks up your player and goes with him. He gets a transfer while the clubs do not even get a pair of boots, not even a football.
Let’s take Topp XX. Nine players from Topp XX play football in Trinidad. If that club had gotten US$3000 per player, that’s US$27000 by two that’s over five million dollars could have been put in back into the development of Topp XX. We have to hold our position on that. I am going to hold my position on Alpha. Those are the critical areas.
Now to Klass.
I said there might be some problems with Colin. But Colin is governed by a general council and an executive. These general council members do they only go to eat the lunch when there are general council meetings?
Every decision Klass has made has been endorsed or signed off by the general council. He could not run this federation by himself. So you have an obligation to ask the general council what is their position on these issues with Colin Klass.
Let’s deal with the decision making process. All these decisions being made by the GFF. Was it Klass alone? I’m saying no! What about the executives? The day-to-day management team of the GFF. What do they do?
DD: The problem is that when Mr. Klass is not there nobody seems to know exactly what is going on.
OL:Aye! So something is wrong with the executive. What? Are they illiterate? Look where these men work. Aubrey Henry is a senior accountant at a big company, Shanghai (Aubrey Major) does run the Kashif and Shanghai tournament that get all kinds of businesses, he deh pun some board at Bakewell all kinds of stuff, Frankie Wilson is a big Editor at Kaieteur News. You have the general secretary, he used to be a former permanent secretary, you have a woman on the committee who is a lawyer. So what are we saying these people don’t have no brains?
DD: In a nutshell what are you saying. What really is the problem with football administration in Guyana?
OL: The problem is the general council.
DD: They’re weak?
OL: They’re weak! They’re weak! The executives, they’re weak, you know and I‘m saying not only weak, they’re dishonest. Because, if they are honest, they should be able to say listen `we may have a problem with Colin but we agree with all these issues. Cause we voted on it.’
Check the records of the general council meetings. They all put their hands up and voted yes, yea or nay.
Show me one resolution where Klass alone voted for and they voted against Klass.
DD: Is there a problem with accountability within the GFF?
OL: Yes! There must be. If they saying that Klass don’t be there and they murmuring, murmuring that Klass doing something else, then there is a question of credibility and accountability.
Let’s take this Graham issue. When this issue of Graham came up, I recommended that Kashif and Shanghai should run the World Cup thing.
I left with an understanding which was subsequently changed where the executive of the Guyana Football Federation decided that Mr. Graham, Tagman must do it. So how Klass is to be blamed. I recommended Kashif and Shanghai. The same Shanghai (Major) and the rest of the executives agreed that Graham must do it. I want them to show me the minutes of that meeting where Klass alone decided that Graham must do the work. So now the money short or the money not there. My club has written the GFF. You know clubs can go straight to FIFA. Clubs don’t have to go through the national associations. I’m saying I need to get some information for my club on what happened to the money. If not I going to CID.
DD: Have you had a response?
OL: Not yet. I’m giving them up to the end of this week or I’m going to CID officially to report this matter to the police. Because six million dollars disappear from the GFF, it’s players money. Somebody got to go to jail.
DD: Do you think the US$250,000 (G$50M) the GFF gets a year from FIFA is enough to run the GFF’s programmes?
OL: It’s inadequate! Its joke. But what I am saying is if the GFF had more creditability, they could raise money. But they don’t have any credibility with the sponsors. So you have G$50M. You should be able to raise G$50M more.
The issue is not Klass. If you make Klass an issue, it’s easy to beat Klass up. Not difficult. But the sponsors will say you got to move Klass or we not giving you any money. But say you move Klass, who do you put?
It’s not about Klass. It’s not about individuals, it’s about policies and programmes and projections. Football is the most popular sport in Guyana and maybe in the Caribbean and the world.
You see the crowds. The first time the stadium was filled was with football. Test cricket can’t fill it. Didn’t fill it. Football filled it.
DD: Have you ever had any aspirations to become president of the GFF?
OL: Yes! At one time I did.
DD: What happened to those aspirations?
OL: I don’t want to say what happened to those aspirations but I am available. If every association say they want Lumumba. Every association. Not even one must say no. That’s my condition.
DD: And if so what difference would you bring to the running of the GFF?
OL: Number one, the GFF needs to be more open, bring in more people, more people involment. We have a lot of good people in this country who can be part of the sub- committee.
Number two, we have to have better relationships with potential sponsors. We have to have a year round programme of football starting with young people like 10 and 11 year olds. We have to penetrate the school system, get the school system back . We’ve got to have a Pro League. Ninety percent of the players in this country are high school drop outs. But if you have a Pro League you will have some income. We need to put in place some kind of education system which can help the players to read and write or to get some bit of understanding. If you look at our team. They get on the field and then they are lost. My man Wilson (Bill) just came back from the Under-17 tournament. You tell them what to do they can’t do it. How does a team score on you with 15 or 20 seconds to go. You tell me? When all you have to do is knock the ball out of play or hold it. They can’t think.
DD: Do you know what is the position with the football facility promised by FIFA?
OL: I’m not a member of the general council.
DD: But what do you know about it?
OL: From what I know. They have acquired the land. I’ve been told that they have acquired the land. Beyond that you’ve got to speak to Mr. Klass or some of the general council members. But what I’m saying is if you have a facility then when it comes to time for training and preparation you would not have to be thrown off grounds.
We have a tradition in this country that when it rains people put a red flag on the ground. Because the grounds are all purpose grounds. They are not football grounds you can’t destroy people’s grounds especially if you’re not paying any money into the maintainance of the grounds. So, maybe one of the options is that if you can’t build your own facility have some relationships with other grounds where you put some money into those grounds?
DD: Do you blame the GFF for not having its own ground.
OL: yes! Totally. You have to blame the GFF for that. And if there is anything I can oppose Colin on will be that issue. As the leader he should have ensured that has happened. (to be continued)
